Good News....

[omad]

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
RP agri exports still have ‘edge’ in Asean
By Malou M. Mozo
Sun.Star Correspondent

The Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards (BAFPS) reported that the country’s produce are “good” for export.

“The Philippines is a major exporter of agricultural produce,” Gilberto Layese, BAFPS director told the ministry of agriculture representatives of the participating Association of Southeast Nations (Asean)-member countries.

Representatives from Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and the Philippines were present in the three-day workshop on the Quality Assurance Systems for Asean Fruits and Vegetables project (QASAFV) of the Asean Australia Development Cooperation Program (AADCP) held yesterday in Plantation Bay Resort and Spa.

The RMIT International of Australia, BAFPS and Products Standards Philippines conducted the workshop.

In an interview with Sun.Star Cebu, Layese said the top fruits for export are bananas, pineapples and mangoes while top vegetables for export are okra, ginger, asparagus and papaya.

“Nothing beats agriculture in terms of importance since it is a primary industry,” said Larry Lacson, an agriculture center chief of BAFPS.

Lacson said the country is still “enjoying the edge.”

He added that Japan and the Middle East remain the top markets of banana while Korea and Japan are the markets for pineapples and China imports the mangoes.

For vegetables, Japan and Korea are the top markets of okra, ginger, asparagus and papaya.

“We are also exporting honeydew, mass melon and melon to Taiwan,” Lacson said.

He also said that in terms of spices, shalot (small onions) is a top product exported to Indonesia due to its pungent smell.

Layese said the bureau is looking into understanding the seasonality of foreign markets in terms of marketing the country’s agricultural produce.

full story
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _

[grabehbebe]

Makati, Davao most competitive cities in RP, study shows

BUTUAN CITY — Davao City ranks with Makati City, the country’s premier financial and business center, as first in "competitiveness" among the major urban centers, including Manila.

This was based on a survey under the Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project spearheaded by the Asian Institute of Management and the United States Agency for International Development.

Trade and industry officials here released copies of the survey results during a press briefing.The survey was conducted last year.

The competitiveness ranking is based on several criteria including infrastructure development, business environment, corporate practices, quality of life, and responsiveness of local governments to citizens’ and business’ concerns.

Davao and Makati cities are included in the "big cities" or "metro cities" category. Ranking second in this category was Las Piñas, followed by Marikina, Muntinlupa, Pasig, Cebu, Mandaluyong, Mandaue, Manila, Quezon City, Lapu-Lapu and Pasay. Davao is the country’s top exporter of tuna and other marine products, while Makati is home to some of the biggest commercial and financial establishments.

In the mid-sized cities category, Bacolod was on the top slot trailed by Batangas, Iloilo, San Fernando in Pampanga, Cagayan de Oro, Angeles, Iligan, Zamboanga, Calamba, Lipa, General Santos, Baguio, Cabanatuan, Butuan and Tarlac.

In the "small cities" category, or cities whose population is less than 200,000, San Fernando in La Union ranks first, followed by Legazpi in Bicol and Tagbilaran in Bohol.

Trade officials here, meanwhile, announced a glowing economic prospect for Agusan del Sur in view of its surplus in rice production as reported by the National Food Authority. Agusan is considered Caraga region’s "Agriculture and Timber Corridor.”

at:http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200608290414.htm

[omad]

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
R7 investments grow as 720 new firms open

Investments in Central Visayas continue to grow in the first half of the year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7 reported.

The DTI 7 said the growth is reflected in the 10.3 percent increase in the number of business establishments registered between January and June this year over that of 2005.

In the first half of this year, the DTI 7 reported 7,662 registered business establishments, up by 720 over last year’s 6,942.

Data from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which was gathered by DTI 7 Information Network Center, showed that investments poured in by corporations and partnerships also increased this year compared to 2005.

full story
__________________________________________________ _________________________________________________

[omad]

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _
Philippines’ Roadmap to 2030 launched

By Daxim Lucas
Inquirer
Last updated 10:40am (Mla time) 08/30/2006

A MULTISECTORAL group has launched the “Philippines 2030 Roadmap” which aims to accelerate the country’s progress toward nationhood.

The group called Mahal Ko ang Pilipinas (I Love the Philippines) is headed by former finance secretary Jesus P. Estanislao.

The anchor stakeholders, made up of 21 city governments and a coalition of sectors at both the local and national levels, said their goal was to achieve the “Philippine dream of true nationhood” in one generation or 25 years.

“Nine sectors, thinking together and building bridges ... in greater solidarity with each other, will promote the common cause of our nation,” said Estanislao, who is also the founding fellow and chairman of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA).

The initiative will gather leaders of key sectors in society, namely the youth, academe, business, media, civic and professional organizations, the labor sector, the Church, and the military.

full story
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __

[baron]

Unity and cooperation from different sectors of society will truly help us reach a better Philippines comes 2030. It seems almost everyone have realized the fact that this country will not improve unless we put up programs to facilitate economic and political reforms that shall put us forward to success.

With this initiative, the efforts will prove to be not futile as we give our best foot forward towards to the realization of this roadmap. This would be more worthwhile rather than our so-called public officials who sit idly with their swivel chairs while waiting for issues to taint the image of the administration.

[grabehbebe]

LLDA set to demolish illegal fish pens, cages

THE Laguna Lake Development Authority has set aside P1.1 million to fund the demolition of illegal fish pens in the lake starting on Friday.

Casimiro Ynares 3rd, LLDA general manager, said his agency would start taking down the fish pens after giving their operators grace period.

Ynares said the demolition would push ahead, despite alleged efforts of influential personalities to stop it.

He said the demolition would be done publicly to show the LLDA’s no-nonsense bid to rehabilitate Laguna Lake.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the LLDA are not afraid of using force in demolishing some 283 hectares of illegal fish pens and fish cages in the lake, Ynares said.

[tackielarla]

Peso grows stronger against US dollar (Today, 10:19 a.m.)

MANILA -- The peso-dollar trade opened Monday with the local currency appreciating a little more against the US greenback.

The peso went up to 50.61, which was stronger than its closing value of P50.735 last Friday, according to a television report.

The country's currency went up to 50.535 to a dollar during trading.

Currency experts expect the peso to hit 49 to a dollar in the next few weeks

[grabehbebe]

A world class expressway in 20 months
DEMAND AND SUPPLY

No more delays. In 20 months from now or about the second quarter of 2008, there will be a fully remodeled, world class South Luzon Expressway that would be as good as the North Expressway is now. This is the promise of Art Aguilar, PNCC chairman in a briefing I recently had with him on how they are transforming the problematic government infrastructure company.

Art Aguilar actually heads the National Development Co. (NDC) which had been tasked by Ate Glue to spearhead the infrastructure development in the industrial areas of Southern Luzon. Art said that Ate Glue is tired of hearing the old complaints from the business sector about the sorry state of the South Luzon Expressway and how this has become a major business disincentive.

This is also why Ate Glue transferred supervision of PNCC from DPWH to DTI and how Art Aguilar found himself responsible for PNCC. But before PNCC can be utilized fully in government’s infrastructure program, it needed to be cleaned up and its finances strengthened. So far, they seem to be on track with this assignment.

story at: http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200609040714.htm

[omad]

Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Business expects good things in last qtr. of ’06

More employment opportunities in the country will open in the fourth quarter of the year, as more companies expressed a positive business outlook for the period.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said third quarter results of the quarterly business expectation survey (BES) showed that the employment outlook index of respondent-firms increased to 13.8 percent from the previous survey’s 12.6 percent.

This positive outlook is supported by the growing number of industrial firms that have expansion plans for the fourth quarter.

The BSP third quarter BES said more firms in the industry sector believe that business activities will be robust in the said period due to the holiday and harvest seasons, higher remittances by overseas Filipino workers, an increase in infrastructure projects, a boom in mining and better government performance.

However, the respondents identified major constraints, which could hamper business expansion. These include insufficient market demand, stiff foreign and domestic competition, unclear economic laws particularly on taxation, liquidity problem and high interest rate.

full story

[baron]

I heard that there will be a resumption of GRP-MILF talks in Malaysia. Now, this will really be good news for our residents in Mindanao. This only proves that the government is serious with its effort to provide peace and development in Mindanao.

I also saw in ANC in an interview with a military official that the MNLF, one of groups to which the government already has a peace agreement with, has been helping the military to fight terrorist groups like Jemaya Islamiya. Maybe with the success of the peace talks between the GRP and MILF, we will have more aid to fight those terrorists.